


Distance, For Lack of a Better Word, Is a Good Thing

by baridalive



Series: 12 Days of Donghyuck [6]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Christmas, Cute, Finding Love, Kissing, Love, M/M, reunited, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:11:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baridalive/pseuds/baridalive
Summary: In which new love blooms out of old feelings, and two people realize that they never lost each other at all__Days 11 and 12 of Donghyuck's quest to find love before Christmas





	1. Day 11

**Author's Note:**

> this is the beginning of the end :)  
> and (again) as much as this story works as a standalone, there are parts of it that will make a lot more sense if you have read the other parts of the series, especially since the beginning of this picks up as a direct continuation of where the last chapter of jeno's story ended  
> enjoy!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very much not proofread. again. literally no one is surprised at this point.  
> also, congrats to everyone who guessed how this was going to end!!  
> i was predictable and pROUD

**Wednesday, December 24th**

_Day of Christmas Eve Party_

**1 Day Until Christmas**

* * *

 

 **Donghyuck’s hands were still trembling** as he reached the front door. He knew exactly who was supposed to be on the other side of the door, but he still couldn’t bring himself to open it.

 

He wouldn’t believe that it was really _him_ standing on his front doorstep a little past midnight on Christmas Eve unless he saw that _stupid_ Canadian face in person for the first time since their last summer before high school and their last summer before moving back to Canada.

 

Donghyuck must have been taking too long because there was rap of knuckles from the outside of the door, an aggravated huff from behind him. “Just open the freaking door, weirdo!” Jeno yelled.

 

Gasping, Donghyuck whipped around shush him because the rest of his family was still supposed to be sleeping, but instead he saw all of his younger siblings and his parents piled onto the staircase, watching him in anticipation.

 

Unfortunately, that meant Donghyuck couldn’t even flip Jeno off for summoning his family, all he could do was turn pink at the ears and wipe his eyes one more time before he yanked the door open to confirm what he had suspected.

 

There, in all of his Canadian almost-college-graduate glory, stood the one and only Mark Lee. His fist was still raised from knocking on the door, but he slowly lowered his hand, that same _stupid_ grin that he had had since middle school growing over his face.

 

“Mark?” Donghyuck’s voice was small, still disbelieving.

 

Mark smiled. “Long time no see, sunflower.”

 

And that _stupid_ nickname that Mark had given him the first day they met—it had been in the field of sunflowers next to the park, and Mark had just moved to Jeju, and since he hadn’t known Donghyuck’s name at the time, he called him by the name of the flower that was tucked behind his ear—is all it took for Donghyuck to launch himself at Mark.

 

He nearly tackles Mark, but they manage to steady themselves before they fall over, and Donghyuck was nearly crying again while Mark was whispering reassurances into his ear.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Mark rocked Donghyuck back and forth in his arms, rubbing circles into his back through the thin cotton of his t-shirt. “I’m here now, it’s okay, I’m here.”

 

Donghyuck sniffled, but managed to blink back the tears, just clinging onto Mark harder, as if he was afraid Mark was going to disappear on him again like he did all of those years ago. Mark chuckled lightly, the vibrations reverberating from his chest into Donghyuck’s, comforting him.

 

Mark didn’t step back until Donghyuck did, but the moment they were apart, Jeno was on Mark like a koala. “I can’t believe you’re finally back!”

 

Mark laughed, hugging Jeno back with equal enthusiasm. “Same here. Thank Mrs. Lee—”

 

“ _Which one_?” Everyone spoke at the same time, their voices ringing through the neighborhood, making Mark laugh even harder.

 

“The only Mrs. Lee here right now, Donghyuck’s mom,” Mark amended after he could speak again, letting go of Jeno. “She was the one that set this all up with me. I had my last exam yesterday morning and she bought me a ticket to fly out of Canada at six o’clock this morning, so I arrived in Jeju almost four hours ago, but let me tell you, customs take _forever_.” Mark explained.

 

“That’s great dear,” Mrs. Lee spoke up. “But can we get you inside? It’s getting chilly in here.”

 

Mark nodded, making Jeno carry one of his suitcases inside while he grabbed the other one. Once the door was shut, each of Donghyuck’s siblings took turns hugging Mark, although he doubted any of them really remembered who he was. Both of Donghyuck’s parents got their turns to embrace him as well before everyone slowly migrated to the kitchen where Mark could sit down.

 

“So,” Mark spoke up once Mr. Lee had ushered the little ones back off to their beds. “Where am I staying?”

 

Donghyuck answered, “The guest room” at the same time as his mother answered, “Anywhere but the guest room”.

 

Mark frowned, clearly too tired to try and figure out what just happened. “What?”

 

“The little ones messed up that bedroom earlier, so we’ll have to find a different space for you.” Mrs. Lee gently explained.

 

Mark nodded. “I can take a couch.”

 

Donghyuck gaped. “Absolutely not!”

 

“I can just head home if you need more space,” Jeno suggested, making Donghyuck whirl on him too.

 

“ _Absolutely not_!” Donghyuck put his head in his hands. “What is it with you two? Neither of you have changed since we were kids!”

 

Mark and Jeno laughed at Donghyuck’s distressed sounding words.

 

“It’s okay, I’ve been wanting to sleep in my own bed anyway.” Jeno explains, and is all the way out of the house before any of them can stop him.

 

Mrs. Lee shrugged. “Mark can just stay where Jeno was staying. I’m going back to bed now.”

 

The boys wished her a good night before just sitting in the kitchen in silence for a moment, basking in each other’s presence. That was the nice thing about the relationship that Donghyuck and Mark had always had: words were never required for comfort.

 

Mark was the first one to speak though, asking a question. “So where was Jeno staying?”

 

“Jeno was in my room.”

 

Mark’s eyes lit up. “Please tell me you still have the stars!”

 

Donghyuck laughed standing up and picking up one of Mark’s suitcases to bring upstairs. “Of course I still have the stars. What do you take me for? A grown adult or something?”

 

Mark starts to laugh, but just ends up yawning. Donghyuck supposed that was what a fourteen hour flight could do to you, so he took Mark’s other suitcase as well and lugged them up to him room where he placed them in the corner.

 

Donghyuck knew that Mark was too tired to pick out his own pajamas, given the fact that he’d already flopped down on the bed as was most likely dangerously close to falling asleep right there. Donghyuck smiled lightly, and fumbled through Mark’s suitcase until he found a pair of joggers and an old t-shirt that could serve as pajamas.

 

“Get up, you big baby.” Donghyuck rolled Mark over. “Go get changed and stop getting dirt on my sheets.” Mark sat up blearily and accepted the clothes from Donghyuck. Mark walked the the corner of the room, and took his coat off there, so Donghyuck busied himself of fixing his bedding while Mark changed.

 

“I’m so _tired_.” Mark groaned, coming back over to the bed not moments later, nearly setting himself down on top of Donghyuck.

 

“Then sleep.” Donghyuck hissed, but there was no venom. Mark hummed as he buried himself under the blankets and scooted so close to Donghyuck that their noses were nearly touching.

 

“You’re warm…” His voice was thick with sleep, so Donghyuck didn’t even bother replying. He only snuggled himself into Mark’s arms, inhaling the scent of home as they both drifted off.

 

Donghyuck had no idea how long they had slept, but only that the sun was at such an angle that it was directly hitting his eyes when he tried to blink them open the next morning. His face was still half-buried in Mark’s neck, but the older was still sleeping.

 

Donghyuck scooted himself backwards slowly so he could get a better look at Mark’s face. He hadn’t seen it in over seven years, and he hadn’t gotten a good view of it at all last night.

 

And Donghyuck could just say that, _wow_ , that dim front porch lighting did Mark Lee’s features absolutely no justice. Given the time they had spent apart, Donghyuck had expected change, but Mark just took his breath away.

 

His cheeks had lost their baby fat, leaving him with a more defined jawline and prominent cheekbones. His previously lanky figure had filled out, leaving him with broad shoulders and a toned body, although some of that was by Mark’s own doing, Donghyuck guessed. His nose was more sloped and his lips were fuller, but he was the same Mark underneath all of that change.

 

Mark had grown too, but Donghyuck hadn’t realized it until just then. When Mark had left, Donghyuck had still boasted about being taller than the older boy, but now the situations were flipped: Mark had stood a handful of centimeters over Donghyuck when they hugged the previous night, allowing Mark to place his chin on his head.

 

Donghyuck reached forward tentatively, grazing the pad of a finger gently across Mark’s skin, marveling at how smooth and soft it was for being so acne-ridden in his early teen years, but the dark circles hadn’t ever left, it seemed.

 

Mark had had a tendency to overwork himself, even as a child. He would sign up for every activity and club and sport he could while taking the hardest classes that would fit into his schedule, all in the sake of being as good as he could possibly be.

 

Donghyuck remembered those days when Mark would stumble into class a few moments before the bell rung, collapsing into his seat and napping through the whole seminar their teacher would give. Donghyuck never questioned Mark on those days, all he did was copy his notes down for Mark, and wake him with a smile when class was over.

 

A movement in Mark’s cheeks startled Donghyuck from his thoughts, and he retracted his finger as Mark slowly smiled. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

 

Donghyuck reached forward with his finger again, but this time it was just to flick Mark’s forehead. “You’re so annoying.”

 

Mark just grinned, cracking one eye open. “And Merry Christmas Eve to you too.”

 

Donghyuck made a face at him as he stretched his arms over his head. He felt his shirt ride up enough that some of his stomach was exposed, and he fully expected Mark to poke it like he and Jeno used to do to tease Donghyuck all the time.

 

But when he didn’t, not that Donghyuck was complaining, he was just surprised, Donghyuck lowered his arms to see Mark staring at the sliver of tanned skin until it disappeared back under the shirt, snapping him out of his stupor.

 

Mark turned pink at the ears, the same telltale sign of him being caught in the act that he had possessed since he was young, and said nothing. He just rolled out of bed and went to his suitcase in the corner to collect some clothes before excusing himself to the bathroom to take a shower.

 

Donghyuck took that opportunity to get dressed and prepare himself for the party, even though it was still hours away. Donghyuck grabbed out his makeup bag and decided on something light, but festive, with some gentle red eyeshadow, some subtle winged liner, and golden highlight to put the metaphorical bow on the look.

 

After deciding that he didn’t need to do anything else except for get dressed, he pulled on a red sweater and some jeans, and so his mother couldn’t say anything about him not being festive enough, he put on his reindeer socks.

 

Donghyuck was downstairs and already helping his mother put up some tinsel by the time Mark lumbered down the stairs, his hair still damp from the shower, but he looked a little more alive. Donghyuck motioned for Mark to come join him in helping set some garland, but they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

 

Donghyuck shrieked and ran to the door, whipping it open and running into his older brother’s arms with much less hesitation than he had done with Mark the previous night.

 

“Hey, Hyuck,” Johnny laughed, scooping him off the ground and twirling him in the air. “It’s good to see you, little bro.”

 

Donghyuck giggled as Johnny set him back on the ground and they hugged properly. “It’s good to see you too, Johnny. I’ve missed you.” He mumbled the words into Johnny’s shoulder, but they both knew what he said.

 

“Hyuck, I have someone I want you to meet!” Johnny pulled back, grasping Donghyuck’s shoulders. His eyes were shining with excitement. “My fiancé, Chittaphon.” Johnny stepped aside to reveal… _his dance teacher_?

 

“ _Ten_?” Donghyuck choked out. Ten looked between Donghyuck and Johnny, trying to figure out for a moment if this was really serious before he burst out laughing, dropping the suitcase he had been holding to double over and clutch his stomach.

 

“Johnny…” Ten laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding. Your little brother... is one of my students… I’ve been teaching him for the whole semester…” Ten barely got the words to come out between breaths, and by that point, Donghyuck had joined him in laughing at the weirdness of the situation.

 

Johnny scratched his head, confused. “Your name is Ten?”

 

Ten shook his head, standing up straight. “No, it’s a nickname I go by with my students because it’s a lot shorter and easier to remember.”

 

Donghyuck wrinkled his nose as Johnny went inside to give his mother a hug in greeting. “I will never call you… _that_.” Ten just laughed and motioned for Donghyuck to help him carry the luggage inside.

 

“ _Mark Lee_?” Johnny yelled from inside, which was followed by pounding feet and a yelp. Donghyuck set the suitcases down in the foyer and ran into the living room to see Johnny hugging the life right out of Mark

 

When Johnny let go, they started rapidly conversing in English, to which Donghyuck only managed to catch every few words, but he looked over at Ten who was nodding along to the conversation with complete understanding.

 

“You know English?” Donghyuck whispered out of the side of his mouth, not wanting to interrupt whatever weird North American bonding was happening in the next room.

 

“That, among other languages.” Ten shrugged, closing the front door behind them and walking into the kitchen to greet Mrs. Lee, leaving Donghyuck standing in the front hallway alone.

 

For the rest of the morning and afternoon, Donghyuck and Mark mostly manage to keep the young ones out of the ornaments and cookies, but they were sure that their stockpiles had been depleted a bit by the end of the decorating.

 

Ten and Johnny had helped a surprisingly large amount, and both Mr. and Mrs. Lee absolutely adored Ten since he kept Johnny’s ego in check _and_ kept him happy. Donghyuck smiled as he watched them kiss gently under the mistletoe Johnny was holding above their heads.

 

Mark sidled up next to Donghyuck, and after seeing what he was staring at, smiled along with him. “They’re really happy, aren’t they?”

 

Donghyuck hummed in affirmation, resting his head gently on Mark’s shoulder as Mark wrapped an arm loosely around his middle and pressed a gentle kiss into Donghyuck’s hair.

 

At some point before the party, Jeno showed up to help with the last bit of preparations, but Donghyuck couldn’t have pinpointed exactly when he came to the house because it was complete chaos at that point.

 

And soon enough, the preparation chaos melted into the chaos of the party itself as the whole neighborhood slowly tricked in, everyone bearing either gifts for the family, or food to share at the party.

 

Mark and Donghyuck were practically glued to each other that the hip for the party, making snarky comments about people’s horrendous holiday sweaters and even worse holiday food. Jeno flitted around the party like the social butterfly he was, so they saw him occasionally throughout the party, but other than that, they were on their own.

 

A few of the neighbors who had been around long enough to remember when Mark lived across the street from Donghyuck greeted Mark with kind smiles and hugs, asking how his family was, to which he always replied to with a short answer and an even tighter smile.

 

“I’m so glad I’m here,” Mark whispered to Donghyuck after one of their older neighbors insisted on the two trying her fruitcake, but Donghyuck had sweet-talked their way out of it.

 

Donghyuck smiled, pulling Mark into a hug. “I’m glad you’re here, too.” They stood there, hugging for a moment before Mark pulled away, the glint in his eye telling Donghyuck that Mark was up to something.

 

“Sunflower,” Mark started, tucking a stray lock of Donghyuck’s hair back behind his ear. “Can I give you my Christmas present a bit early?”

 

“Sure?” Donghyuck was confused, but agreed nonetheless, letting Mark drag him over under the archway that separated the kitchen and living room. Donghyuck belatedly noticed the mistletoe hanging over their heads and Mark’s nervous smile, but someone tapped his shoulder, dragging his attention away from the boy in front of him.

 

“Duckie, can I borrow Mark for a moment?” It was his mother. The two boys let out the breaths they didn’t even know that they had been holding.

 

“Go right ahead.” Donghyuck smiled, gently nudging Mark toward his mom.

 

Mark came right back, though, dropping a kiss on Donghyuck’s forehead. “Wait for me, sunflower.” He murmured against Donghyuck’s skin. “It’s important.”

 

Donghyuck was sure he had gone about as red as his sweater, but let Mark go with him mom, only moving to get out of the way of the flow of people between the rooms. He didn’t even _mean_ to eavesdrop on their conversation, but Donghyuck ended up migrating close enough to the hallway that his mom had pulled Mark into that he could make out their voices.

 

“... and do your parents know you’re here?” Mrs. Lee was saying, her tone serious.

 

Donghyuck could hear the audible grimace in Mark’s voice. “Uh, no?”

 

“So where do they think you are?”

 

“Uh, at my girlfriend’s house.”

 

And Donghyuck’s heart doesn’t just break, it shatters into a million different pieces, scattering across the floor to be kicked around by the ignorant people attending the party. Donghyuck heard the sob rip from his throat more than he felt it.

 

He vaguely hear Mark gasp out his name from around the corner, and he knew that Donghyuck had been listening, but that didn’t stop Donghyuck from turning on his heel and darting through the people milling about his house, and rushing through the front door to the cold outdoors without even bothering to put on shoes.

 

It was freezing and snowing outside, and Donghyuck could feel his reindeer socks slowly getting soaked by the freshly fallen snow that coated the ground. The cold flakes from the sky met the hot tears running down his cheeks. He didn’t know if Mark had followed him outside; he didn’t care.

 

Donghyuck just had to get away from him. He had tried so, so hard to find someone to love that would love him back, even if they didn’t end up like Ten and Johnny, but his little heart just couldn’t take any more. His childhood best friend playing with his feelings had been the final straw in his nearly-over game of Jenga that served as his emotions.

 

“Hyuck!” Turned out Mark had followed him out of the house, but Donghyuck didn’t turn around. He just kept walking away from the house, watching his breath puff out into clouds and dissipate into the dark air.

 

“Donghyuck, just _listen_ to me!” Mark grabbed his wrist, panting and out of breath.

 

“What do you want?” Donghyuck tore his hand away with a hiss.

 

“I’ve been missing you, my little sunflower boy, since the day I left. I never, ever forgot about you, and all I ever wanted to do was come back.”

 

“But you _didn’t_! And now you have some girlfriend back in Canada, so why don’t you just forget about me now?” Donghyuck couldn’t help his voice rising, but Mark never flinched away.

 

“Hyuckie,” Mark nearly whispered, brushing his thumbs over Donghyuck’s cheeks to wipe away the tears, but they didn’t stop. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

 

“But you said—” Donghyuck began, but Mark placed a finger over his lips.

 

“I lied to my parents about having a girlfriend so I could come see you. My good friend Wendy is covering for me while I’m away, but she’s on holiday with her own girlfriend.” Mark gently explained, making Donghyuck’s mind reel.

 

“Through these past seven years that I’ve been away from you, I’ve thought of you every day. I wanted to come back to you with my whole heart, and I will forever regret that I left without saying goodbye.

 

Donghyuck drew in a shaky breath. “You left behind a boy in love.”

 

Mark smiled, cupping Donghyuck’s face as he shook his head gently. “No. The boy in love was the one that left.” Mark was so close by then that Donghyuck could count the snowflakes on his dark lashes

 

Cheers erupted from inside of his house—Mark must have left the front door open when he had run outside—letting Donghyuck know that it was Christmas as his eyes fluttered shut and Mark leaned in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sO! it was brought to my attention that some people don't understand the titles of the stories so, if you're interested, i'll explain.  
> i struggled on coming up with titles for this series... for probably an entire week. i wanted the titles to be connected in some way, but not overly-so. it took me about a week to come up with the idea, but when i did, i knew it was perfect. all of the titles are famous quotes from movies, but slightly altered to connect better with the story that each was the title for. they're all from (more or less) classic movies in american cinema  
> yUP that's the story!!!  
> thank you all for reading, and we have one last chapter to go before the end of the series!!!


	2. Day 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ended up being a lot shorter than i anticipated, honestly, but i managed to keep it t-rated so it's a win for me  
> a quick warning: there's implied sex between two consenting adults in this chapter, so just.... watch out  
> i think that's it, so enjoy the last installment of the series!!

**Thursday, December 25th**

**Christmas Day**

* * *

 

**Their lips barely brushed the** first time, briefly meeting in the middle for a mere second, but that wasn’t enough for either of them. Donghyuck tugged Mark back in, slotting their lips together gently. It tasted of the salt from Donghyuck’s tears and the mint of the candy cane that Mark had been sucking on earlier.

 

The kiss was slow and careful, both of them afraid that one slip-up would cause the other one to leave again and maybe not come back. Donghyuck let his arms loop slowly around Mark’s neck, pulling him closer until they both ran out of air.

 

Mark pulled away first, resting their foreheads together. “Merry Christmas, sunflower.”

 

Donghyuck hummed, content, as he pecked Mark’s lips one last time before lacing their fingers together gently until they fit like puzzle pieces. Donghyuck led Mark back inside the house, only letting go of his hand long enough to shut the front door and take his damp socks off once they arrived. 

 

Mark’s cheeks were rosy from the cold and his nose looked cold, but the glint of happiness in Mark’s eyes was enough to tell Donghyuck that everything was okay. Donghyuck deliberately ignored the gazes of Johnny and Ten that were bouncing between the two boys and their connected hands.

 

Donghyuck gave a concerted effort to behave for the rest of the party, but with Mark next to him now that everything was okay between them, neither of them were able to keep their hands to each other.

 

The were constantly holding each other, running their fingers over each other’s arms or shoulders, placing gentle kisses on cheeks or jaws. Donghyuck had been running his lips along the shell of Mark’s ear, nearly making the other hyperventilate with the shivers wracking his body every time Donghyuck kissed his earlobe when Jeno interrupted them, clearing his throat with his arms crossed.

 

“You two need to take this upstairs before your siblings start asking questions.” Behind all of his serious words, Jeno was clearly happy for them; the smile that was threatening to take over his lips gave him away. But Jeno was right, as much as it was a little past midnight, the little demons were still running rampant on the first floor, all of them on sugar highs from the copious amounts of cookies and sweets that they had surely consumed.

 

Donghyuck gave Jeno a nod, reaching forward to squeeze his shoulder in thanks, before tugging Mark out of the living room and up the stairs. They stumbled nearly the whole way up, giggling as they locked themselves in Donghyuck’s room.

 

And then their lips were on each other again, but they were kissing through their laughter. The mood was light as they found times to kiss each other between fits of giggles, and Donghyuck felt his heart swell every time Mark’s deep laugh rumbled through his chest, knowing he made the boy as happy as Mark made him.

 

But the moment Donghyuck pushed Mark back onto the bed, climbing on top of Mark to straddle his waist, the atmosphere took a turn for the heated. All of the laughter dies from Mark’s lips as it’s swallowed up by Donghyuck.

 

Donghyuck ran his tongue along the seam of Mark’s lips, and they parted oh-so-beautifully so he could take the opportunity to explore Mark’s mouth with his tongue, completely ruining any ideas of keeping that night g-rated.

 

Donghyuck sat back to admire his work: swollen lips, flushed cheeks, the previously styled hair now disheveled but still gorgeous because everything about Mark was gorgeous to Donghyuck.

 

Mark didn’t like the pause in what was happening, however, so he took the opportunity to flip them around so Donghyuck’s back was pressing into his mattress and Mark was kneeling between his legs.

 

Donghyuck let his eyes fall shut as Mark’s lips traveled from the underside of his jaw to the base of his throat, not even opening them when Mark tugged on the bottom of his sweater so Donghyuck could arch his back off of the bed just long enough for Mark to yank the sweater off of his body.

 

Mark reconnected his lips with Donghyuck’s skin a bit harder that time, making the younger gasp as he left little love bites all across his collarbones. 

 

“We should take it slo- _ oh _ !” Donghyuck’s words got stuck in his throat as Mark sucked at the sensitive skin below his ear and behind his jaw. Mark pulled back to admire his handiwork, a smirk gracing his lips as his fingers grazed over the blossoming purple on his golden skin.

 

“We should what?” Mark teased, making Donghyuck roll his eyes before tugging him back down for another searing kiss. As their lips were kept busy, Donghyuck’s hands skillfully undid the buttons down the front of Mark’s shirt, pushing it off of his shoulders. Donghyuck ran his fingers over Mark’s well-defined chest, feeling around as the muscles tense up under his touch.

 

“Is the gym a normal thing for you?” Donghyuck breathed out as Mark returned to kissing each other the little spots on his skin across his neck and shoulders.

 

Mark hummed. “I used it to try and get my mind off of you.”

 

Donghyuck flicked his shoulder, before grabbing it when Mark sucked another section of skin between his teeth. “Then you’d better not be going anymore.”

 

Mark smiled against his skin, pressing the flat of his tongue against the new bruise to soothe it. “I never said it worked,” Mark’s tensed his stomach and Donghyuck’s hand smoothed over the muscles there. “But something tells me you like it.”

 

Donghyuck just smiled into their next kiss, neither confirming nor denying anything. Mark lifted one knee and slung it over one of Donghyuck’s legs so he was straddling it without ever breaking the kiss. Donghyuck opened his mouth to question the movement, but all that came out of his mouth was a strangled moan when Mark shifted his thigh a bit higher.

 

He grinded down of Mark’s leg, moving his hips in just the way where he got the amount of pressure on him just right. Donghyuck’s chest rose and fell faster as his breathing picked up, his fingers clenching and unclenching the sheets at his sides as he kept moving.

 

“Mark,” Donghyuck stuttered out, sweat beading on his forehead. “Do you have…”

 

He trailed off, but he heard the telltale sounds of a plastic cap being popped open and the wrinkle of foil as two things were set down on his bedside table. Donghyuck didn’t even have the mental capacity to ask how Mark got ahold of them without ever leaving.

 

Mark finally moved his leg away, swallowing Donghyuck’s forlorn whine as he brought their lips together again, much sweeter that time. Mark’s fingers dipped past the waist of Donghyuck’s jeans to rub gentle circles into the skin hidden by the fabric. 

 

“Only if you want it, sunflower,” Mark kissed him long and deep. “I’m in no rush.”

 

Donghyuck smiled, relaxing back into the mattress so their mouths could part. “You’re such a fucking romantic, Mark Lee.”

 

Mark grinned back at him, the expression only visible by the glow of the stars on the ceiling. “Only for you.”

 

“Oh my—” Donghyuck surged forward before he could curse at Mark for being the most cliché person alive. 

 

“Do you want to, though?” Mark cupped Donghyuck’s face gently, thumbing over his lips. “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Donghyuck nodded. “Yes, I want to. More than you know.”

 

The rest of the night consisted of skin on skin, sweat on sheets, giggles between minor mishaps and kisses to make everything better. And,  _ god _ , Donghyuck’s heart had never been so full. He drifted off in Mark’s arms in the early hours of the morning before the sun had arisen, their legs still tangled up, knowing that he’d be sore in the morning but was content for that moment.

 

Donghyuck woke up that same morning, but hours later, to a finger gently tracing its way down the slope of his nose and across the angle of his cheekbones. 

 

“Good morning, sunflower.” Mark murmured as Donghyuck’s eyes slowly opened to let the late morning light in. 

 

“G’morning, Mark,” Donghyuck said, pressing a kiss to the top of Mark’s bare chest. Mark laughed, bringing a finger under Donghyuck’s chin to tilt it up so they could kiss. “Merry Christmas.” Donghyuck breathed out between short kisses all over Mark’s face. 

 

Their lazy time was interrupted by a sharp knock of knuckles on Donghyuck’s bedroom door. “Get decent, you two.” It was his mother. “It’s time for presents.”

 

Donghyuck turned red as the footsteps retreated from the door, burying his head in Mark’s neck. “She’s going to kill me.”

 

Mark just laughed, untangling their legs and pressing a kiss to Donghyuck’s shoulder. “How are you feeling this morning?” He asked as he sat up. The blanket fell down his chest and pooled at his waist, revealing a series of crescent-shaped indents in Mark’s skin, surely courtesy of Donghyuck’s nails.

 

“Better question: how do  _ you _ feel?” Donghyuck frowned as he traced a finger over the marks on his chest. 

 

Mark glanced down, as if only noticing the nail imprints, eyes widening in surprise. “I didn’t even know they were there.”

 

“Neither of us were particularly gentle, were we?” Donghyuck sat up, wincing at the ache in his lower back. 

 

Mark ran the pads of his fingers over the small bruises he had left on Donghyuck’s hips, trying to match up which fingers were responsible for which spots. “No, but if you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”

 

“I am,” Donghyuck drew Mark in for another kiss. “But you’re going to have to carry me down the stairs.”

 

Mark pressed a kiss in the shape of a smile on Donghyuck’s shoulder blade before he slid out of the bed to tug on some clean sweatpants from his suitcase. Mark tossed Donghyuck some joggers from his own drawer as well as one of Mark’s own sweatshirts to put on.

 

Once they got dressed—Donghyuck with a little more difficulty than Mark—Donghyuck climbed onto Mark’s back and they went downstairs, doing their best to ignore the curious looks from Donghyuck’s younger siblings, the knowing ones from Mr. and Mrs. Lee, as well as the simply amused ones from Johnny and Ten.

 

When Mark set Donghyuck down between him and Johnny, Donghyuck turned directly to his right to whack Johnny on the shoulder as hard as he could to stop him from staring. “It’s not like you two  _ don’t  _ do it.” Donghyuck huffed, crossing his arms.

 

Johnny just laughed, ruffling Donghyuck’s hair affectionately. “I know, I know.”

 

Donghyuck turned back to Mark just as his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “I forgot the presents for you guys in my suitcase!” Mark darted back up the stairs and into Donghyuck’s bedroom. 

 

Donghyuck watched his siblings unwrap their games and toys with a smile on his face as he waited for Mark to come back down. As much as he had dreaded it in the beginning, coming home for Christmas was debatably one of the best decisions he had made that entire year.

 

Mark came running back down the stairs just minutes later, his arms full of presents. He had gotten an assortment of Canadian board games for Donghyuck’s siblings, a couple bottles of real maple syrup—straight from his parents’ backyard—for Mr. and Mrs. Lee, and he even got Johnny a book written in English that Mark had really liked. 

 

Donghyuck smiled at Mark as he sat back down next to him finally. “That was sweet. You didn’t have to get them gifts.”

 

“But I wanted to.” Mark told him. “As a thank you.”

 

“You had to thank my little siblings?”

 

“For staying out of our way, yeah.” Mark winked, making Donghyuck shove him lightly.

 

“Hey, Mark?” Donghyuck thought of something that made his stomach twist uncomfortably. “When do you head back to college?”

 

“I graduated a week ago, sunflower. I’m done with college.” Mark smiled.

 

“You are? So what are you going to do next?”

 

“Well, I got this one job offer down in Seoul…” Mark grinned and Donghyuck’s jaw dropped.

 

“You’re kidding!”

 

Mark shook his head. “I accepted, and I have an apartment downtown so I won’t be too far from you and the university and—”

 

Donghyuck shut him up with a kiss, both of his hands on Mark’s cheeks. “You did it for me?”

 

“No, but you were just the sweetest part of the deal.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, but gave Mark one more peck on the lips before letting him go. “But I have something for you too.”

 

Donghyuck raised his eyebrow and sat back. “Oh?”

 

Mark bit his lip and nodded, pulling out a small wrapped box from behind his back, pressing it into Donghyuck’s hands. “Open it.”

 

Donghyuck unwrapped it carefully to reveal a plain navy blue box. He glanced up at Mark in question, but he just motioned for him to open it. When he finally opened the lid, it took his breath away.

 

Inside of the box, nestled carefully in a piece of cloth, lay a golden ring. It had a little sunflower on it, and when Donghyuck picked it up to look at it closer, he saw that there was an engraving on the inside. 

 

_ I’ll always come back _

 

When Mrs. Lee looked over it must have been a sight to see: Mark kneeling beside a teary-eyed Donghyuck who was holding a ring and looking at like Mark like he had hung the stars, so she naturally assumed that what was happening was exactly what it looked like.

 

“Mark Lee!” She gasped, a hand over her heart. “Did you just propose?”

 

The entire room went to silent a pin could have dropped in the kitchen and everyone would have heard it. Mark, on the other hand, just turned pink and shook his head profusely.

 

“No, no!” Mark denied adamantly, reaching forward to slip the ring on Donghyuck’s finger. “Maybe someday, but not today.” He said the words carefully, glancing at Donghyuck to make sure what he was saying sounded reasonable.

 

And Mark looked at Donghyuck with such unabashed admiration that Donghyuck just knew, as he pressed his lips to Mark’s for the thousandth time that morning, he just  _ knew _ that this boy was the one.

 

Mark may have just come back home, but it was him who gave Donghyuck’s heart a home. Mark smiled gently, pecking Donghyuck’s lips one more time before carefully lacing their fingers together.

  
And on that Christmas morning,  **all was right in the world.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi wOW that was a bit of a wild ride  
> i only had time to pre-wrote five of the chapters after i kind of planned everything out, so when i got to day 6, i basically had to write a 5k-6k fic per day to keep up, which ended up being more than i could handle during my last week of school before break and that's what caused me to get off-schedule a bit  
> bUT!! i'm done and it's still christmas day (night?) for me, so i'd consider that an overall success  
> thank you thank you tHANK YOU to everyone who supported this story from beginning to end, everyone who joined somewhere along the middle, and even people who are joining at the end. every single one of your kudos and comments and read reminded me of why i love to write, and they all kept me going through this  
> this series was a load of fun to write, but now i need a little break from writing since i managed to bust out over 30k in less than a month... that's still a little crazy to me  
> i love you all so so much, and i hope you continue to love and support our hyuck through his time off with his injury, and that you continue to love and support all of nct while they carry on without their sunshine for the time being  
> thank you! and merry christmas to everyone! (and happy non-denominational winter holiday to those of you who don't celebrate it!)  
> you mean the ENTIRE world to me, and i hope you stick with me through more of my writing adventures!!  
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on my socials about anything <3
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/baridalive)   
>  [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/baridalive)   
>  [tumblr](https://baridalive.tumblr.com)


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